DaWolf
11-17-2009, 02:10 PM
Why Bowe's suspension is so much more crushing than LJ's issues (http://chiefsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/1106)
Two weeks ago, Dwayne Bowe stood with me in a corner of the Chiefs practice facility that few outsiders are invited into these days. It's a private hallway for players and coaches, and on this afternoon after practice, Bowe was trying to have a conversation.
But there was a problem. Mark Bradley was joking with a teammate, and it was too loud for Bowe's liking.
"Hey!" Bowe yelled. "Trying to have a conversation here!"
Sure enough, the older Bradley turned down the volume on his conversation. Bowe apologized and got back to his talk. For the first time, I saw Bowe playing the role of a mature, thoughtful player who had grown up and, if he hadn't yet reached his potential, a man who was on the way there and seemed determined to do what it took to get there -- even if that meant growing up.
That day, Bowe talked about his relationship with coach Todd Haley. He talked about maturity. He talked about greatness.
On Tuesday, all three of those conversation points took huge hits, when Bowe was suspended four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Whatever growing up Bowe has done, today's news clearly illustrates that there is far more that Bowe has to do.
The timing couldn't be worse for the Chiefs. This will soil Sunday's win against the Raiders, in which Bowe led the team in receiving yards. Haley had said last week and again Sunday that the team's beleaguered wide-receivers corps was finally showing signs of progress, and no one was responsible for more growth than Dwayne Bowe.
The third-year wideout reported to the team's offseason conditioning program a staggering 30 pounds overweight. He plays a position that hinges sometimes on a swing of three or four pounds, and Bowe had packed on 10 times that amount of weight in only a few months. Haley demoted Bowe, bullied him, disparaged him, embarrassed him. Somehow, it worked. Or seemed to. Bowe lost the weight and became the chiseled wideout that Haley envisioned so many months ago. It really didn't take that long, either.
Now, everyone will wonder if Bowe's transformation was legitimate. Did he lose those 30 pounds with hard work or with banned substances? More, people will wonder how long this has been going on. What else regarding Bowe can be attributed to these kinds of questions?
The problem for the Chiefs is that Bowe, unlike Larry Johnson, is part of the future. Bowe is 25 years old and is a huge part of what Kansas City sees as its foundation. While the Chiefs experimented by bringing in journeyman wide receivers, hoping to strike gold, Bowe was always the gem of the unit. He needed only a coat or two of polish.
When Johnson was suspended and then released for detrimental conduct, the Chiefs were confident they could move on. Other talented players were there. Cutting Johnson was a safe move. But losing Bowe, even if temporary, casts a long shadow on the future. This will elicit questions about everything Bowe does as he moves forward. It will raise questions about whether Haley's conditioning regimen is too demanding of players, and whether it at least tempts them to turn to shortcuts. It will raise questions about this team's discipline and judgment. Regardless of how those questions are answered, this cruel fact remains: A core member of the Chiefs future has made a colossal lapse in judgment, and it will leave a stain on his career.
Remembering training camp and all the bumps Bowe took, advancing into the regular season when he was rejuvenated, and as recently as this past Sunday in Oakland, I can't help but wonder now if everything we've seen from one of the Chiefs' gems was nothing but fool's gold all along.
Two weeks ago, Dwayne Bowe stood with me in a corner of the Chiefs practice facility that few outsiders are invited into these days. It's a private hallway for players and coaches, and on this afternoon after practice, Bowe was trying to have a conversation.
But there was a problem. Mark Bradley was joking with a teammate, and it was too loud for Bowe's liking.
"Hey!" Bowe yelled. "Trying to have a conversation here!"
Sure enough, the older Bradley turned down the volume on his conversation. Bowe apologized and got back to his talk. For the first time, I saw Bowe playing the role of a mature, thoughtful player who had grown up and, if he hadn't yet reached his potential, a man who was on the way there and seemed determined to do what it took to get there -- even if that meant growing up.
That day, Bowe talked about his relationship with coach Todd Haley. He talked about maturity. He talked about greatness.
On Tuesday, all three of those conversation points took huge hits, when Bowe was suspended four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Whatever growing up Bowe has done, today's news clearly illustrates that there is far more that Bowe has to do.
The timing couldn't be worse for the Chiefs. This will soil Sunday's win against the Raiders, in which Bowe led the team in receiving yards. Haley had said last week and again Sunday that the team's beleaguered wide-receivers corps was finally showing signs of progress, and no one was responsible for more growth than Dwayne Bowe.
The third-year wideout reported to the team's offseason conditioning program a staggering 30 pounds overweight. He plays a position that hinges sometimes on a swing of three or four pounds, and Bowe had packed on 10 times that amount of weight in only a few months. Haley demoted Bowe, bullied him, disparaged him, embarrassed him. Somehow, it worked. Or seemed to. Bowe lost the weight and became the chiseled wideout that Haley envisioned so many months ago. It really didn't take that long, either.
Now, everyone will wonder if Bowe's transformation was legitimate. Did he lose those 30 pounds with hard work or with banned substances? More, people will wonder how long this has been going on. What else regarding Bowe can be attributed to these kinds of questions?
The problem for the Chiefs is that Bowe, unlike Larry Johnson, is part of the future. Bowe is 25 years old and is a huge part of what Kansas City sees as its foundation. While the Chiefs experimented by bringing in journeyman wide receivers, hoping to strike gold, Bowe was always the gem of the unit. He needed only a coat or two of polish.
When Johnson was suspended and then released for detrimental conduct, the Chiefs were confident they could move on. Other talented players were there. Cutting Johnson was a safe move. But losing Bowe, even if temporary, casts a long shadow on the future. This will elicit questions about everything Bowe does as he moves forward. It will raise questions about whether Haley's conditioning regimen is too demanding of players, and whether it at least tempts them to turn to shortcuts. It will raise questions about this team's discipline and judgment. Regardless of how those questions are answered, this cruel fact remains: A core member of the Chiefs future has made a colossal lapse in judgment, and it will leave a stain on his career.
Remembering training camp and all the bumps Bowe took, advancing into the regular season when he was rejuvenated, and as recently as this past Sunday in Oakland, I can't help but wonder now if everything we've seen from one of the Chiefs' gems was nothing but fool's gold all along.